Let's just talk about how zonisamide, the generic form of Zonegran, costs me $25.00 for a month's supply at my local Kroger pharmacy. I think the regular price is $35.00 but they gave me a lower price to keep me from leaving. That's 90 pills for $25. Pretty nice, eh? (The brand-name drug is way more, as I'm sure you could guess.)
As I've mentioned before, I have no insurance, so all prices mentioned here are what one must pay if she has no health plan and no prescription coverage.
I was out of town for Thanksgiving and didn't have enough medication to last me the whole time. I figured I'd have my neurologist call my prescription into a Florida pharmacy near my parents' house for the sake of convenience. Walgreens was the closest place--heck, there are about 83 within five square miles of their subdivision. Ridiculous. The same exact number of the same pills (same generic drug manufacturer, mind you) had an unbelievable price tag: approximately $130 (give or take a few bucks) for 90 days. No, they don't match prices. (Kroger and other leading and not-so-leading drugstores do.)
IT IS SCANDALOUS. Truly. They do this just for profit, just because they can. If you know of some other reason, then let me know. I doubt that Kroger gets the drugs for a lot cheaper than Walgreens does. I bought a few days' worth instead. I spent $21 and change on enough pills for vacation--that's almost as much as I spend on an entire MONTH when I'm at my home sweet home.
I'm so angry.
Justifiably so, I think.
Figured I'd share my righteous indignation with you all on this fine, overcast Sunday afternoon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My blog has moved!
You should be automatically redirected in 6 seconds. If not, visit
http://migraine.com/author/the-migraine-girl/
and update your bookmarks.
Posts
3 comments:
I know prices vary from different drug stores... I saved a hundred bucks on botox by choosing the pharmacy carefully (botox is not covered on my ins, due to the lack of evidence it is a effective migraine treatment).
Some of the preventative meds are decently priced, but when it is specifically for migraines, such as abortives it is extremely expensive. I would not have been able to afford abortives had I not had the coverage I do. For example Imitrex shots come in packages of two and were about 100 CAN and when you have min 3 migraines a week, well, that is almost what I make in a month! Not even counting whatever preventatives I am on, at one time it was four different meds, for different triggers. Migraines are big business.
"Migraines are big business" ain't that the truth! it seems as though, more and more information is out there, and less is really there, via Big pharma, for we sufferers. this way, they maintain the control right where they like it - the wallet.
As far as we the patient's go, we go from one off-label med to another, trying to find the right "miracle" to cure what ails us. Perhaps we should start our own pool of drugs for each other. As for myself, I just weeded out a cupboard of non-used meds that rendered useless to me, but could have probably helped someone out there, with little, no or useless insurance! It's sickening
I highly recommend the prescription discount card that I found at www.rxdrugcard.com. Low membership fee. Drug prices posted.
Post a Comment